On 11 March 2011, the fourth most powerful earthquake ever recorded struck off the coast of Japan’s main island, Honshu, triggering a series of tsunamis that hit much of the northeastern coast. The devastation was widespread, with nearly 20,000 people confirmed dead, and more than 2,500 still missing. More than a decade later, the cities and towns impacted by this natural disaster have recovered with great resilience, but the feeling of loss still reverberates for many. The Diver profiles one such Japanese man, Yasuo Takamatsu, whose wife Yuko went missing following the earthquake and who still lives in the tragedy’s immense wake. The US director Anderson Wright tells his story with care and empathy, joining Takamatsu as he makes his latest of more than 600 dives into the sea in an attempt to find her. As Takamatsu descends into the vast blue sea, he reflects on the depths of his love. With stunning cinematography and subtle craft, the film offers a poignant portrait of grief’s enduring power, as well as the strength it can inspire.
Director: Anderson Wright
Producer: Vesta Tuckute
video
Technology and the self
A filmmaker finds a tactile beauty in the creation of her prosthetic leg
11 minutes
video
Technology and the self
How the magic of photography brought Victorian England closer to the spirit realm
16 minutes
video
Neuroscience
Dog vision is a trendy topic, but what can we really know about how they see?
11 minutes
video
War and peace
A century later, can poetry help us make sense of the First World War’s horrors?
9 minutes
video
Language and linguistics
The little Peruvian guide to public speaking that conjures up a grandiose world
7 minutes
video
Life stages
What Michelangelo’s late-in-life works reveal about his genius – and his humanness
13 minutes
video
Biography and memoir
Preserving memories of a Japanese internment camp, and the land where it stood
8 minutes
video
Stories and literature
To capture grief in poetry is to describe the ineffable. Here’s why Tennyson did it best
8 minutes
video
Childhood and adolescence
The unique fellowship between teens and young puffins on a remote Icelandic island
20 minutes